In the Gnoll's Den
by Tobi Is My Name
Summary: A young satyr is captured by a gnoll hunting party and immersed in their strange culture. Based on 3.5 Edition table-top, not the books.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I was flipping through my old 3.5 Monster Manual when I happened upon the Gnolls, anthropomorphized hyenas, essentially and I wrote this. I really really liked writing it so I will probably continue it. RnR please.**

He could hear them, their constant yelping and laughing as they urged each other on was right at his heels,

"Faster! Faster, hunt-sisters! He will tire, you will see!" The leader laughed in a high-pitched wail and the others yelped and leapt forward ever faster to their goal.

The satyr hazarded a glance back and bleated in dismay; they were getting closer! He could make out their amber or green eyes and their lolling pink tongues as they closed in. He had to outrun them, but he was tiring, his hooves kept slipping as the forest turned to swampy wetlands and it was only now that he realized he was lost. Too far from home and clan, so no one could hear him call and there were no paths that might lead to something familiar.

There was also one more thing he realized too late, they weren't trying to catch him. It was obvious, or should have been, that the yelling, yelping, and laughing was all a ploy to keep him running headlong to wherever they directed him. But, again, this was realized too late as the young satyr ran pell-mell into the swamp and only just came to the conclusion that he made a very big mistake as the pack stopped right at the edge and he was grasped at the ankle and swung up into the trees, upside down.

The gnolls cackled and barked, brandishing their weapons in triumph and the leader, a almost tawny-colored female with bright amber eyes swaggered forward, swinging the handle of her spined club as she moved, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth and she grinned viciously,

"Well, what a spirited chase!"

The others laughed uproariously.

She silenced them with a raised hand then moved closer to the weakly struggling satyr,

"You should feel honored! We have not enjoyed a hunt like this in many moons, little goat."

The satyr panted as his head started to feel very heavy, same with his arms and the leg that wasn't held up by a thick rope.

The she-gnoll reached over and shoved him so that their prize swung back and forth, then she grabbed his loose hoof and spun him, laughing all the while at the distressed goat's struggling.

"Cut us a pole for our prize! Truss him up like true hunting trophy!" She cackled and her pack ran off to do just that.

After a few moments they had the satyr hanging like a bagged deer from the pole as they made their way away from the forest and along the swamp. The satyr didn't have any fight left in him, he hung, exhausted and defeated; unable to wriggle free of the thick ropes holding him and he couldn't bleat after being gagged.

The she-gnoll leader, Rux-tok, laughed and rushed about with the gnolls that weren't carrying their prize, often leaping back at the satyr to frighten him or make as if she would swipe at him with her claws only to dance back and away. She also seemed to delight in tugging on his short horns, calling him 'little goat', or pulling on his pointed ears or tail. The kid sobbed behind the gag in pain or fear until they reached the gnoll encampment and he knew it was all over.

"Here you are, Magten, nice young satyr. What say we talk shop, yes?" Rux-tok poked a claw through one of her gold hoop earrings as she leaned on a post outside a tent where an older male gnoll was sitting.

Magten lifted his head and huffed, he had a large leather collar on and a tattoo of green lightning on the left side of his muzzle, his ears were tattered and he had one cracked fang,

" . . . you really think I will give you money for that scrawny hoof-walker? Or that She will be pleased?" He growled, glaring up at Rux-tok with his cloudy-green eyes.

Rux-tok snarled, "You wanted satyr, I hunt down satyr!"

"No," He grumbled, flattening his ears, "You hunt down little hoof-walker with scrub horns! Not even worth the pole he's strung on!"

Rux-tok shrieked, her fur and mane standing on end and she reached for her club only to back down when a louder roar answered her. Out of the tent loomed a gigantic gnoll, her fur was shaggy and gray and one of her eyes was missing, the socket sewn shut and there were scars all over her shoulders and massive neck, she swung a large toothed sword and it cracked the ground in front of Rux-tok. The great beast snarled, her hand curling protectively in Magten's collar to pull him back despite the males grunts,

"Yough dare, Rooks-tuck?" The big female mumbled, her teeth were gnarled and it was obvious her jaw had been broken then healed poorly.

"N-No, Matriarch Dagga-Zool!" Rux-tok's ears flattened and she lowered her head in terror.

"Googh!" Dagga-Zool grunted and ducked back into the tent.

Magten's eyebrow rose slightly as the tent-flap closed behind the massive female, "No use threatening me when mate is nearby, eh, hunter?"

Rux-tok's lip curled up in a silent snarl and she dropped the submissive persona, "Count self lucky, mate-pet . . . so what I do with this one then?"

She jabbed the satyr in the side with the butt of her club, the kid groaned and swallowed, he was still not over the terrifying introduction to one of the gnolls' leaders and hadn't really listened.

Magten snorted, "See if she-dog, Oso-Thad, has space for him, if no, kill and we call it pound for silver, eh?"

Rux-tok pursed her thin lips in anger at being slighted so and she could feel the disappointment from her pack of she-gnolls, but nodded and held up her left hand with her ring and pinky curled and the middle, index, and thumb fingers extended,

"Honor it." She grumbled.

"It is honored." Magten responded with his right hand in the same position.

Rux-tok huffed and directed her pack to follow her to a large building carved into the roots of a massive oak tree and into the ground. She kicked the door opened angrily and went in. The Pack all huffed and grumbled, the two pole-bearers set the satyr down and slid him off the pole, apparently not seeing any reason to keep him strung up in the middle of their village. He shivered and chewed his lower lip miserably until Rux-tok came back through the door with a thin female with chocolate spotted fur and green eyes in tow,

"Here, Oso-Thad, here is hoof-walker . . . " Rux-tok grumbled half-heartedly, gesturing to the satyr.

Oso-Thad's head tilted to the side and she squatted down to examine the satyr, "This hoof-walker not for Magten?"

"Was . . . not good enough for tail-licker . . . " Rux-tok snarled, crossing her arms angrily.

Oso-Thad cocked an eyebrow, "Watch mouth, sister, Dagga-Zool is everywhere."

Rux-tok snorted and rolled her eyes, "Old mange-paw will be challenged soon, not matter what she think soon."

"You?" Oso-Thad reached over and turned the satyr's head this way and that.

Rux-tok blinked then she shook her shaggy head, "Not Rux-tok, not this she-dog, no, too happy to chase and hunt to want mates and cubs. Too free to be tent-dweller, no."

"Well, I will take him. Poto and Farra could use help anyway." Oso-Thad stood and reached into a pouch on her belt and produced a handful of silver coins, "Fifty?"

Rux-tok grimaced and huffed, "Less than half of bounty! We have mouths to feed!"

"Yes, your own, greedy beast!" Oso-Thad's mane bristled, "Fifty or you butcher it yourself and see how that goes!"

The satyr started to struggle and bleat at the idea of being butchered and Rux-tok covered her ears,

"Rrr! Alright! I take fifty!" She snatched the coins then shoved the satyr onto his stomach in front of the brown gnoll before stomping off with her rather crestfallen hunting party.

Oso-Thad huffed and then reached down, grabbing the satyr under the arm and lifting him to his bound feet,

"Enough, hoof-walker, or I will make you quiet." She said calmly.

The satyr's mouth clamped shut and his wide yellow eyes stared at her in abject terror. She nodded approvingly and patted his head,

"That better, goat. Now I cut bounds, don't run, you will only die tired." She warned and pulled out a small knife from a sheath on her same belt.

The satyr nodded frantically and watched as the knife sliced the knots and his hands and feet were free, he glanced at the edge of the village to where the forest was and then he felt Oso-Thad's claws dig into his arm as she gripped it,

"Die tired or live to see the sun set?" She asked lowly.

The satyr swallowed and looked slowly back to her, his large eyes filling with tears and he hung his head dejectedly.

She patted his head again and gave him a doggy-grin, "Good, it learns fast! Your kind can't hear you bleat anyway."

He shuffled along behind her as she led him around to the back of the tavern-looking building and there was a large wooden tub. The satyr blinked and looked at the gnoll in confusion, she gestured to his body and he looked down, only now realizing that he was covered in smelly, black swamp mud from head to toe.

"You not work smelling like a old swamp hag." She explained, then she went to the back door of the tavern, "Poto, water!"

"Yes, ma'am!" came a voice from inside then moments later a blonde, male Half-elf rushed out holding a pair of buckets.

Oso-Thad nodded and watched as the Half-elf, Poto, rushed to the edge of the forest to where a stream ran and filled the buckets then hurried back and dumped them in the tub. This was repeated three times then the she-gnoll gestured for the satyr to get in.

He did so, shivering at the cold water then yelped loudly as more water was poured on top of him,

"Oh, hush, goat, not so bad. Smell better already!" Oso-Thad laughed while Poto stood nearby.

The satyr bleated and cringed with each time water was dumped on him and he felt as though his skin was being rubbed right off his bones as the gnoll mercilessly scrubbed as his fur, all the while she grumbled about how thick it was and ignored the struggling satyr then stood back and nodded,

"There! Hoof-walker all clean!" She said triumphantly.

Poto reached down to the base of the tub and pulled a cork out, allowing the dirty water to drain out, leaving the satyr shivering and wet, she gestured for him to get out. He stood there, waiting for the next set of tortures only to be covered by a large, fluffy towel. He blinked and poked his head out while Oso-Thad dried him off. She nodded once she removed the towel,

"There! Fluffy little goat all clean now. Poto, get clippers, this little goat needs to be sheared a bit, yes, I think."

Poto nodded and ran back inside then reappearing moments later and handing a pair of wool-shears to the gnoll, the satyr took an uncertain step back in confusion only for Oso-Thad to grab his ear and pull him closer, her hand moving quickly as she clipped his tangled brown hair, making it almost to the scalp, then she stood back to admire her handiwork,

"Yes! Much better now, little goat." She grinned, wrapping the damp towel back around his shoulders, "Now we get you clothes then work!"

The satyr grimaced but followed behind her through the door. It was a dimly lit apartment behind the kitchen of the tavern. Poto closed the door behind them as Oso-Thad dug through a wooden chest and then came back to the satyr with an armful of cloth, she took the towel and then fastened a loincloth made of green cloth around the satyr's waist, she slipped a pair of leather vambraces onto his forearms but he could tell by the tooling and weight that they were decorative rather than for combat, and she slid a slim leather collar onto his neck like Poto was wearing.

"There, little goat is now ready for work." She nodded and reached up to remove the gag, "As long as he does not bleat too much, there will be no trouble."

The satyr worked his jaw and licked his cracked lips, " . . . no."

"Good, now, Poto, what shall we call our little goat?" She asked Poto who shrugged,

"I don't know, ma'am."

"Hmm, tricky puzzle, tricky, tricky, names are important, Oso-Thad is name of this she-dog, means 'Spotted Fang', very good name for oldest daughter. But what do we call the goat kid? Hmm . . . ah, I see, we will call him 'Keest'."

Poto blinked then smiled, "Yes ma'am."

The satyr blinked in confusion, "I . . . I have a name . . . "

"No, you have name now, you did not exist before coming and getting name, little goat. Before you were here, you were prey, and prey has no names. Now you are not prey so you have name." Oso-Thad reasoned, "Now you Keest. Now you have place in pack."

The satyr bit his lip in dismay, "But-"

Oso-Thad snarled, "You will answer to name or you will not be part of pack and that makes Keest prey. We eat prey. You want to be dinner?"

"No!" The satyr flinched and his eyes watered.

"Good, then little goat is Keest."

Keest blinked then nodded, "Y-Yes . . . ma'am."

Oso-Thad nodded approvingly and grinned, "Good! Poto, take Keest to work. I will be out."

Poto nodded and gestured for Keest to follow him out into the tavern, it was noisy and there were many more peoples besides gnolls inside. There were orcs, subraces of elves, shifty looking men, a small group of cloaked characters that looked like demons, and, of course, gnolls. Keest's hooves clicked audibly on the natural wooden floor and he grimaced as a few eyes glanced toward him.

"Don't pay them any mind, Keest, they are curious." Poto murmured and led the satyr to the bar where a female Halfling with thick brown hair tied in a braid and bright blue eyes was passing a group of humans some pints, "Farra, this is Keest."

Farra blinked her wide eyes and then looked Keest up and down, her eyes stopping on his hooves, then she laughed,

"Keest is what she decided to call this one? Well! Isn't that hilarious?"

Keest blinked in confusion, "Why, what does it mean?"

Poto grimaced, "Handsome-foot. It's . . . It's meant as a joke."

Keest blushed and lifted one of his hooves, " . . . oh. Well what do 'Poto' and 'Farra' mean?"

Both the half-elf and Halfling exchanged glances, then Farra shrugged, "'Poto' means sapling and 'Farra' means . . . knot."

"I don't understand why-"

"I'm a half-elf, right? Half woodelf and half human . . . so a small tree, _sapling_." Poto explained under his breath, filling a customer's pint.

"And I'm called knot because I was able to almost get away nearly twenty times when they caught me because I could untie anything, got small hands and all that." Farra explained.

" . . . what about the other names?" Keest asked as he followed Farra to clear off a table then back to the kitchen.

"Which ones?" the Halfling murmured as she motioned for the dirty dishes to be dumped into a metal tub full of water.

"Oso-Thad means 'spotted fang', what does Rus . . . Ruk . . . that one that's a hunter, what's her name mean?"

"Well," Farra furrowed her brow, "You mean, Rux-tok?"

"Yes, that one." Keest nodded and tilted his head, scratching at a horn.

"Well, 'Rux' means 'fair' and 'tok' means 'mane' so basically her name means 'fair mane', probably on account of how light her pelt is. You meet anyone else?" Farra asked as she ladled stew into a wooden bowl and placed it on a serving tray with a crust of bread and some cheese.

" . . . Magten and a big ugly beast with a broken jaw." Keest glanced at the stew a little longingly, he hadn't eaten since this morning and all that running around had drained him.

"Hush! Not so loud about Dagga-Zool!" Farra hissed, "She's a Matriarch and you could be executed simply by speaking ill of her!"

Keest blinked, "Oh . . . I didn't know."

"Here, take this out to the table with the orcs sitting at it." Farra instructed, pushing the tray with, now, three bowls and plates on it.

Keest nodded and carefully carried the tray to the table, earning him a few glances, some were purely out of curiosity but there were a few that felt . . . invasive. He hurriedly returned to the kitchen where Farra was now cooking,

"So explain it to me then." He supplied, holding the tray to his bare midriff.

"Alright, first, Magten means 'last of ten' and Dagga-Zool means 'powerful arm'. Okay?" She glanced at him in a measuring sort of way then continued to cook while she spoke, "Gnolls are a lot more organized than most people think. I'll level with you, even I thought they were basically drooling dogs that killed for sport, but here I am, serving in a gnoll tavern. So here's how it works: There are three Matriarchs, the nastiest and strongest of their kind get together and have to fight to get to be in charge, but it isn't just a physical fight, they also have to be intelligent and debate otherwise they aren't considered leader material. Only a first-born daughter gets to be a Matriarch, like Oso-Thad could if she really wanted to but she just doesn't have the muscle to win against someone like Dagga-Zool. The Matriarchs and first-borns have the rights to mates and offspring, but unlike other first-borns, Matriarchs can have multiply mates and then a favorite. Dagga-Zool's favored mate is Magten who is the youngest son of another Matriarch, he's very smart and that's why she lets him handle money and other things." Farra took a breath and tasted her soup, then she glanced at Keest, "Oh dear, you must be starving, here."

Keest accepted a bowl of vegetable stew and a hunk of bread gratefully and started to eat, "Go on."

"Alright, as I was saying, Matriarchs, there are three but only one to a village, they get together every so often to discuss important matters, take on challengers and the like. Now, after the first-born are other children, male and female, the males are seen as little better than livestock and can be traded to another family as slaves or given to Matriarchs as a tribute, Dagga-Zool's youngest mate is a pup of barely ten if I remember correctly, and he was traded for the rights to a tree in the village for building. Anywho! The female cubs are treated more like the soldiers under a general, they're trained to fight, hunt, or pursue more scholarly positions, they are only allowed to mate if they are given express permission or is given a male gnoll as a gift by the Matriarch. Though if there is a daughter born first, she will be given to the Matriarch as a personal servant whether that is as a lieutenant or in a sexual sense, it is not specific and not always required of a family."

"Sexual sense?" Keest's eyes widened slightly.

Farra blinked, "Well, yes, when a Matriarch doesn't wish for more children she will turn to a female companion or have her mates all castrated. I know it is a strange development but it works for keep the Matriarchs from becoming frustrated and believe me, around the spring season, you want a very sated Matriarch. As I was saying, if it is a boy, it is either killed as a sacrifice to purify the mother or given away as a gift. Also, if the mating is seen as unbeneficial or the male is seen as weak or not satisfying, he can be killed in the same manner."

Keest finished his soup and grimaced, "They're so . . . barbaric."

Farra shrugged, "I can't complain, I'm allowed to live. I don't agree with it but then coming from someone who was basically abandoned to die during a famine, I'm quite comfortable."

"What about non-gnoll slaves like us?" Keest asked softly, putting the bowl into the tub.

"We're essentially pets." Farra said calmly, "We're kept fed and given a place to sleep in exchange for total obedience. We are also to protect and care for our mistress in exchange for these privileges. Count yourself lucky, Keest, you could just as easily been handed over to the butcher to be slaughtered for meat. Same as myself and Poto, we aren't seen as sentient creatures with thought and speech, we're cattle."

Keest swallowed, "There's no hope for going home, is there?"

"None. A male gnoll is terribly territorial for his possessions and a female is even worse, they would go to war rather than give something as highly prized as a slave back." She shrugged, "As I said, it isn't so bad."

The satyr blinked, " . . . are we expected to . . . do anything else?"

"Such as?" Farra didn't look up from slicing a loaf of bread.

" . . . with others . . . you know, um . . . things." Keest struggled; he'd never felt so terrified and awkward in all of his nineteen summers.

Farra looked up then nodded, "You're a slave. You're job is to please your master and if your master owns a tavern where there are patrons looking for something that no self-respecting gnoll will give for free, then yes, you, little goat, will have to bend over and bleat for whoever hands over the silver the same as all of us."

Keest's cheeks reddened and he swallowed, "But-But I-"

Farra held up a hand, "Guess what, satyr? No one cares. They really don't, all we can do is hand the silver to Oso-Thad and whimper in a corner nursing our pride and hoping we won't be too sore in the morning, get used to it."

Keest swallowed again then closed his eyes, took a slow breath, then opened them again and nodded, "O-Okay."

Farra's eyebrow went up, "Okay?"

He nodded, "I . . . I can be strong and tough like you and Poto, I can pull my own weight and I can do it without crying or . . . or 'bleating' or whatever. I _will_ take it like a man."

Farra was silent for a moment then smiled, "Well, 'handsome-foot', you're less of a baby then I thought you were. Good for you."

* * *

The rest of the day went rather uneventfully, many different kinds of shady characters came and went in the course of the evening then the night then it was time to close. Keest followed Poto and Farra around doing whatever they asked of him and when the day was over they all handed Oso-Thad the silver they'd made, mostly in tips, it had been a slow day apparently, and then went to the back apartments.

Poto and Farra busied themselves by getting the bedding out while Keest stood uncertainly in the middle of the room, then Oso-Thad came in with a short male gnoll who wore no clothing but a thick leather collar, he glanced at Keest then nudged Oso-Thad with his muzzle,

"Who that?" He asked slowly.

Keest looked at the male and was about to answer when Oso-Thad beat him to it,

"New slave." She answered, "We call him 'Keest', Jahut, mate of mine."

Jahut looked rather goofy, truth be told, one of his ears drooped and he was stockier than Oso-Thad but shorter too, his mane was scrubby and his fur was a dull gray color. He grinned and showed off many gaps between his teeth,

"Oh, Oso . . . so many slaves, you are most strong female . . . " He grinned, rolling onto his back on the bed, drawing his arms up to his chest and spreading his legs.

Oso-Thad glanced at her mate and snorted, "Hush, Jahut, silly beast, long day has left me tired."

Jahut whined loudly and scooted closer to her, wagging his stubby tail wildly. His eyes looked so large and watery as he whined and huffed for affection.

Keest grimaced, it was rather pathetic; he thought of his own kind and how the males would butt heads for mates and how the females would garland themselves in flowers and braid their hair with sweet-smelling grasses, this was just a disgusting display of a pitiful excuse for a male to-

Oso-Thad cut across Keest's thought by snarling loudly and clamping her jaws on Jahut's throat warningly. The male whined low in his throat and thrust his hips instinctively, gasping for air and putting his hand down to push his fur away from his genitals, making himself even more vulnerable.

The female gnoll snarled and leapt back, growling low in her throat even as her eyes raked over Jahut's prone body and how he displayed himself,

"I said 'no', Jahut, stupid tail-licker!" She growled, her hand snapping out to beat Jahut's ears and muzzle.

Jahut whimpered and retreated, his tail tucking between his legs and tears springing from his large brown eyes. He sat down in the corner and whined imploringly but Oso-Thad was not listening.

"Keest, you sleep with Poto in back, Farra is with me as normal." She directed.

Farra settled obediently on the bedding next to Oso-Thad who disrobed then curled up around the Halfling. Poto grabbed a blanket and settled toward the door, he undressed then gestured for Keest to do likewise and lay down. He also gave the 'stay quiet' gesture when Keest tried to object, then the satyr laid down with the half-elf, watching through narrowed eyes as Jahut attempted to go back to sleep with Oso-Thad only to be set upon again and finally he settled for curling up at his mistress's feet, whimpering and moaning until the she-gnoll finally lost her temper and kicked him in the face, effectively silencing him.

Keest laid there in the dim-light that came from a small stove off to one side and had thoughts of trying to escape, but the idea that maybe they knew his scent now and could easy track him down and tear him to pieces kept him firmly on the floor, pretending to sleep while he felt Poto's arm wrap around him and a leg slide over his own.

The world no longer made sense.

 **A/N: So I based the Gnoll society on the literal hierarchy of Spotted Hyenas (look 'em up, those are the queens of bad ass right there!) and in turn was able to apply the basic rules of Amazons as well. And used all of that to create a hunter/gatherer-barbaric-matriarchy kind of society, far more complex than even I had thought. It turned out a lot better than I thought it would!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So another chapter yay! This one will go into a wee bit more detail in the gnoll society and yadda yadda. It is a wee bit confusing but it is meant to be and most things will be explained almost immediately, so stick with me! RnR!**

Keest woke to someone licking his ear, he grumbled and swatted at whoever it was but they persisted. The satyr opened his eyes and blinked rapidly, it was Jahut; the stocky male was lying on his side next to Keest, licking his ear.

Keest's eyes widened slightly and he was unsure of what he should do then Jahut, seeing that the satyr was awake, propped himself up on his elbow, grinning his gap-toothed grin at Keest and chuckling,

"Little hoof-walker . . . Oso says keep poor Jahut company while she work. Oso is good mate to poor Jahut, yes." The male nodded his shaggy head and grinned wider.

Keest swallowed, "I see . . . and why do _I_ have to keep you company?"

Jahut barked out a laugh then shrugged, "Oso does not like Jahut's paws being on little knot and blonde elf is always too busy for poor Jahut, so little foot will keep Jahut's company."

The satyr swallowed as the gnoll sat up, tracing his dull claws over Keest's stomach, "And, uh, and what do we do, exactly?"

Jahut's tongue lolled out and he cocked his head, "Tired Jahut is Oso's favorite Jahut."

Keest's eyes widened, he scooted away slightly, "I-I, uh, and how do we, um, how do we make you tired?"

Jahut sat back on his haunches then crept forward, grinning widely, "We play."

Keest was about to bolt for the door when Jahut gestured for the door,

"Goat gets headstart, Jahut will count then chase."

"C-Chase?" Keest's eyes darted between the now drooling Jahut's jaws and the door.

"Yes. Jahut chase and bring goat down. No biting or claws, Jahut is gentle or Oso will tan his hide, yes." Jahut nodded his head vigorously, licking his chops and wagging his tail.

Keest swallowed as a plan started to form, if he could outrun the clearly stupid male, he could maybe get home . . . he had a chance of escape as slim as it could possibly be, but it was a chance! Jahut didn't have the stride that Rux-tok and her hunters had and he looked heavier, he would tire faster. Jahut kept tilting his head this way and that as Keest continued to say nothing then the male leaned very close, his claws trailing down into the thick wool on Keest's flank,

"And if Jahut wins, he gets to play with goat. If he loses . . . Jahut never loses." He grinned, leaning forward even farther so that his cheek was on Keest's and he whispered in the satyr's ear, "Jahut is not so smart, but he is fast and he is strong. Goat will run, Jahut will chase then Jahut will catch and play. Goat has five . . . four . . . "

Keest's eyes widened, he didn't even bother to pull on his clothing and raced out the door, knocking Jahut aside in his haste to get out, across the clearing and into the forest.

He was plunging into the foliage when, from behind him, he heard,

"Two! One! Here comes Jahut!"

Keest didn't bother to look behind him as he heard the male giving chase, it wasn't until he turned around a tree and slammed right into something that he realized how pathetic it was to think he could escape.

"What we have now?"

Keest shook his head to clear the ringing and he heard Jahut snarl loudly.

"No! No, that Oso's goat! Not for mangy beasts! No touch!"

Keest blinked several times and then looked up and there was reddish-brown gnoll, but instead of spots like the gnolls in this village, this one had stripes, it was huge and male,

" . . . wha-"

The bigger gnoll barked a laugh, "Why is 'Oso's goat' running about?"

Jahut snarled, his mane bristling and he stepped over Keest, "Jahut was playing with hoof-walker. He is watching goat."

"Well, Jahut should not wander so far from mate!" The striped gnoll growled, he was armed and Jahut was not.

Keest slowly got to his feet, if they started fighting, he would easily get away while they were both distracted . . .

"What is stripe-dog doing so far then?" Jahut growled, flexing his claws.

"Frenj is messenger for his mate," Frenj drew himself up to his full height and grinned toothily, "On way to speak with Matriarch Dagga-Zool."

Jahut blinked then huffed, "Why not take main road, why sneak like sneaky thief in forest?"

Frenj snorted, "Lost way, heard town sounds."

Jahut pointed toward the tavern, "That Oso-Thad's tavern, The Bear Tail. They will help you."

Frenj nodded then glanced at Keest, who was edging back, they locked eyes and Keest swallowed,

"Need help getting goat?"

Jahut shook his head, "No. Jahut can manage one small hoof-walker. Go."

Frenj nodded, holding up his hand in the same way that Rux-tok had to Magten, "Honor it."

Jahut quickly did likewise with his opposite hand, "It is honored. Go."

Frenj turned and hurried off in the direction Jahut had given then the smaller male turned to Keest,

"Fun interrupted by stripe-dog . . . okay, Jahut will give goat another head start. Five . . . "

Keest turned and ran deeper into the forest, this time he checked over his shoulder when the countdown reached 'zero' and almost tripped on his own feet. What Jahut lacked in height and stride, he made up for in power and he ran on all fours, his muscles bunching and extending to propel him after the satyr.

Jahut was faster than anticipated and it wasn't long before Keest was pummeled into and knocked off his feet. The male gnoll whooped and bounced up to his feet before leaping back at Keest and lightly closing his jaws around the terrified satyr's neck, growling low in his throat and wagging his tail.

The gnoll then leapt back and grinned, "Jahut wins! He is Alpha male! Haha!"

Keest sat up in terror as Jahut danced about a bit then plopped down, panting, next to him,

"See? Fun!"

Keest blinked, there was nothing about what had just occurred that could be mistaken for 'fun' to him and possibly to anyone else besides the stupid gnoll. Then Jahut rolled over, straddling Keest's waist,

"I am Alpha now, you are not! I am dominant gnoll!" He grinned, rolling his hips slowly, "Jahut stronger than stupid hoof-walker, yes! Jahut faster and better than little goat!"

Keest struggled until the heavier gnoll's claws dug into his skin and sharp, yellowed fangs hovered just in front of his face, he was about to try and flee but then Jahut climbed off and stood, holding a hand out for Keest. The satyr blinked in bewilderment but took the hand and was pulled to his feet, Jahut moved into the satyr's space again and scented his neck, his tongue sliding out of his mouth to lave there,

" . . . See? Jahut is gentle . . . pretty goat."

Keest didn't have a chance to comment on this because Jahut's head snapped up and he made a huffing-bark sound and then grabbed Keest's wrist and started to lope back through the woods, dragging the satyr behind him.

* * *

"What happened to you?" Farra asked as Keest stumbled into the kitchen minutes later, dressed and with twigs stuck in his fur and hair.

" . . . Jahut wanted to 'play'." Keest muttered, grimacing as he dug a twig out from his hoof.

Farra snorted, "Did he? Well I suppose after last night he needed to blow off some steam . . . "

"This is normal for that stupid dog then?" Keest sighed heavily and accepted the cup of water Farra handed him.

"Yes and he isn't nearly as dumb as he pretends." Farra glanced at the doors then sighed, "Look, when he asks you to 'play', just go along with it okay? You don't want him to decide that you'd make a better chew toy than a rabbit, hmm?"

Keest blinked, "And the whole 'alpha male' thing?"

Farra stopped cooking some ham and stood very still, "Just don't tell Oso-Thad about that, Jahut isn't right in the head, he's not stupid, just not right."

"Right . . . oh and we literally ran into another gnoll out there with striped fur. Named Frenj." Keest put the cup down and tilted his head.

Farra blinked, "Oh! Really? Huh, wonder what's going on then?"

Keest's eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

"Okay, here's how it breaks down, one village has spotted gnolls here in the forest, another is striped gnolls out on the plains and the last village is all brown gnolls up in the distant mountains. Our village has the largest and strongest gnolls, the striped are generally more into economics and treasure hunting and the browns are smaller and . . . well, they aren't all that exciting, truth be told, more into crude magic and the gnoll equivalent of knowledge." Farra shrugged, "I don't know who Frenj is specifically but if he is a messenger then something must be going on with the striped village."

"Hmm." Keest glanced around, "So, what should I do now?"

"Now you can go tell Poto breakfast is ready and get yourself a plate if you want." Farra reached up and grabbed a plate for herself, "You don't eat meat do you?"

"No." Keest said, glancing around, "Not normally anyway."

"Okay, I have some squash and zucchini frying in the other pan if you'd rather have that."

Keest nodded then went into the tavern where Poto was setting up for the day, "Farra said that breakfast is ready."

The half-elf nodded and brushed past Keest, "Alright then."

They ate in silence, there was no time for talking as they had to eat quickly and be ready for any customers that might come in at all. Then they hurried about getting everything settled and waited for customers.

* * *

It was several weeks later, Keest got used to most things that he had to put up with while a slave to a gnoll and he had not yet heard any news on what the striped gnoll, Frenj had come to speak to Dagga-Zool for, but that wasn't surprising, if it had been important he would have gotten wind of it from either the hunting party that often ended up in the tavern or overhearing Oso-Thad talking to patrons. He also learned a lot about how to keep himself out of the way and not draw attention to his presence, despite how difficult that is for a satyr, and managed on a whole to avoid catching anyone's eye.

But it wasn't going to last forever, a gnoll stepped into the tavern door early one morning, Keest was about to greet it when he recognized this gnoll in particular, Rux-tok, he swallowed and made to hurry back into the kitchen but, too late, the big she-gnoll caught sight of him and narrowed her eyes. Keest was frozen with an odd combination of anger and fear, this gnoll was why he was scrubbing pots and serving surly customers. It was her fault he'd been caught unawares and unarmed with no hope of fighting back.

Rux-tok went to the bar and pulled up a stool, she ordered a pint and lapped at it slowly then turned to look at Keest,

"You there, hoof-walker, come here." She gestured for him.

Keest shifted uncertainly and was only motivated to move when Poto jerked his head toward Rux-tok, only then did the satyr slowly and carefully make his way the length of the room to stand in front of the she-gnoll. Now that he was up-close and not shaking with fear, he could get a good look at her, Rux-tok was larger than Oso-Thad, her golden-brown fur bristling with the aid of sap from trees, her ears and snout were pierced with thick golden hoops and he could see the subtle spotting along her jaw. And now that he was closer and she wasn't talking so much, Keest could see that Rux-tok had the same tattoo on her muzzle as Magten.

The big she-gnoll patted her leg, "Sit."

Keest awkwardly sat down on Rux-tok's lap, grimacing as a clawed hand curled around his arm and he could feel the gnoll's hot breath on his neck, making him shiver and his skin was quickly covered in goosebumps.

"Pretty little goat, what name Oso give? Hmm? She loves naming her pretty little pets." Rux-tok licked at Keest's ear, he twitched nervously as her other hand grabbed his knee, pulling his legs apart slightly.

"K-Keest." Keest whimpered, not liking how this gnoll was grinning.

Rux-tok laughed, her fangs gleaming, "How good to name her goat that! Pretty little goat . . . not good enough for Dagga-Zool . . . but good enough for Oso to play with. She takes all the worthless pets, right, Poto?"

Poto said nothing and just refilled Rux-tok's drink.

Keest squirmed, " . . . she doesn't seem to mind."

Poto flinched and grimaced, shaking his head a little. Rux-tok's teeth clacked and she growled, tightening her grip on Keest. The she-gnoll snarled then stood and dragged Keest by one of his short horns to the wall, slamming him up against it so that his hooves hovered over the floor. The satyr's eyes widened in terror as Rux-tok leaned in close,

"What you say, hoof-walker?" She snarled, "Did this one ask you question?"

"N-No!" Keest struggled to get his feet on the ground.

"Rux-tok thought not . . . " She slowly lowered him then grinned and reached down, grabbing Keest through his loincloth, " . . . Poto, how much for this one?"

" . . . twenty silver." Poto murmured softly, glancing at them then going back to pretending to scrub a cup for the third time.

"Twenty . . . almost half what Oso-Thad gave me . . . stupid tail-licking first daughters . . . what does Rux-tok get, hmm?" She dug the coins out of her belt pouch and dropped them on the bar, "Hangovers and sore ears."

Keest didn't have time to question any of this as Rux-tok's grip shifted from his horn to his collar. He was roughly pulled up a set of stairs he had rarely ever been up before and into a hallway carved out of the tree's trunk, it was circular and spiraled around the heartwood so as to keep the tree alive. The satyr was pushed through one of the rooms and then Rux-tok came in as well, slamming and locking the door behind them. Her eyes glowed a little from the light from the window built into the wall behind them. Keest's heart pounded as he glanced around, there was a table and a bed and not much else. Rux-tok snarled and undid her thick leather belt,

"Not good enough, that's what Rux-tok is, not good enough even as second daughter! Oso gets everything and what is left for Rux-tok to be? Rux-tok is mangy old Dagga-Zool's plaything!" She snarled and paced as she dropped her leather armor to the floor then her hand snapped out and she grabbed Keest by the ear, hauling the terrified satyr onto the bed, "Well, this she-dog will get something that even stupid ugly Magten didn't want."

Rux-tok took Keest's hands and pinned them up by the kid's head with one of hers then reached down and tore his loincloth off with the other, her fingers slid through his thick, curly fur to cup his sac. She growled softly then looked into his eyes, hers were glowing eerily in the light reflected from the window,

"I'll have pretty little goat, that's what . . . Dagga-Zool can't keep this wily she-dog so busy that she forgets things . . . " Her voice grew soft and she leaned closer to Keest, her tongue flopping out in a pant, "She is not so stupid as old mange-paw thinks."

Keest swallowed then shuddered as Rux-tok licked and nipped at his ear, her free hand roaming over his chest to tweak his nipples then lower to tease and tug at his genitals, she did not seem to care if she stimulated him in any way and it was more for her own enjoyment for all his squeaks and yelps in pain or indignation. She barked again and was panting, she sat back on her haunches, pulling Keest up and letting his hands go. The satyr's cheeks were red and he refused to make eye-contact with the slavering gnoll, Rux-tok sat back against the pillows, grabbing Keest by the ear and pulling him to her, she growled low in her throat and forced his mouth open with one hand while her other was busy between her own thighs,

"I have job for 'handsome-foot'," She pushed his shoulders and directed him until his face was by her stomach, "Use pretty goat-mouth, hmm? Yes."

Keest bucked in confusion then realized what he was being told to do and blanched, "But, I-"

Rux-tok snarled and her eyes narrowed as she sat up a bit, pushing him down onto his stomach, "I pay for goat's mouth, not his talking."

Keest swallowed and hesitantly, awkwardly began to do what he figured she wanted from him. Rux-tok growled and flopped back on the bed, arching her back and tangling her fingers in the satyr's hair,

"Hmm, yes little goat, that better use of mouth." She practically purred, her tail wagging and moving out of the way a bit more.

Keest had to struggle to keep himself from using a horn or both to show Rux-tok just how much he didn't agree with her then she got up onto her hands and knees, he blinked and sat up,

"Continue, pretty goat." She urged.

Keest grimaced then scooted closer and did as he was told, pushing Rux-tok's tail to the side while the larger female huffed and made aborted thrusts with her hips. The she-gnoll growled and snarled so much that Keest thought maybe this hurt her instead of pleasured her and had half-a-mind to stop and ask if he was doing it wrong but then Rux-tok did something that Keest did not expect, she whined.

At first he didn't hear it but then it got louder and more plaintive and he was certain that Rux-tok was whining and her legs were shaking, she reached back and grabbed Keest's ear, pulling him away from his task,

"Do it. Now." She demanded, her ears slightly back and she was panting heavily, "No one will know if pretty little goat does not tell."

Keest blinked then realized what he was being told to do. She wanted him to mate with her, he swallowed (immediately regretting this) and tried to think, "I didn't think that-"

"I said no one will know. Do it now." She snarled but it broke off into a long, pitiful whine.

Keest bit his lip and slowly mounted the gnoll.

* * *

An hour later, Keest staggered down the stairs and quietly went into the kitchen where Farra was already cooking for the crowd that had gathered even this early in the day, he looked at her for a moment before she realized he was there.

"Hey, where have you been, huh? I didn't think there were any customers looking for a quick tuck-and-roll so early." She asked cocking an eyebrow.

Keest swallowed, "It, uh, it was Rux-tok."

Farra stared at him, " . . . Rux-tok? But, she's not a first-born, she has no right to mate."

"She told me to do it and I obeyed."

"You just keep finding more and more reasons to never speak again, don't you?" Farra muttered, "Look, you can't tell anyone about what Jahut does, you can't tell anyone about Rux-tok letting you bang her into the mattress and all of this within such a short span of you being here? How do you manage it?"

Keest grimaced, "I have no idea."

"Well anyway, how was she?" Farra smirked and tilted her head.

Keest blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"In the sack, how was Rux-tok, the great and terrible leader of the village's hunting party! Was she good in bed? You're not . . . _totally_ covered in bites and scratches or beaten to a pulp, so? You have fun?" Farra laughed at Keest's bewildered expression, "Oh come on! Do you have any idea how _huge_ this is?"

"No."

"Rux-tok has _never_ mated with a male!" Farra bounced on the balls of her feet, "So you can imagine my surprise, especially that she picked you out of all the males she could have run to the bush for a quick one-two-split."

Keest's eyes widened, "Wait, so . . . so she's a second-daughter who didn't have permission to mate? And she wanted me to do it?"

Farra shrugged, "Yes to the first and to the second, you were probably just easier to keep silent."

Keest sat back, "But, she _hates_ me! She hits me around the head whenever she gets a chance! Last week she spilled beer all over my clothes and I had to serve the rest of the evening without anything on!"

Farra smiled now, crossing her arms, "You men are so thick you know? She wanted you to be naked would be my guess, get a good look at the 'pretty goat' and violence amongst gnolls is sometimes flirting or testing each other, you barely react when she beats on you other than to flinch, am I right?"

"Well, yeah, she can hit hard!" Keest crossed his arms and grimaced.

"There you go then! You reacted in a way that told her she could easily overpower you and you would be suitable!" Farra snorted, "It wouldn't surprise me if she let up on you now that she knows."

"But . . . so then what she was saying that 'no one will know', she was serious? She was really _not_ supposed to do that with me." Keest's eyebrows rose.

"Nope, she is strictly forbidden to mate with a male unless told otherwise and even then, most second-daughters and lower are sometimes sterilized in a ritualistic ceremony or otherwise rendered unable to have children by keeping them very busy with jobs like hunting. It isn't pleasant and I have a feeling that Rux-tok is no exception." Farra grimaced.

"Oh . . . Again, this society is so barbaric." Keest shook his head, "Why do they do this to each other?"

"To keep tight control." Farra shrugged, "They control everything in the village, the Matriarch decides who can have mates and children and who can't, who does what job, even where each family lives is based on what she decides. They run an incredibly air-tight ship here and for good reason."

Keest started to wash dishes, just to give him something else to work on, "why me though? I mean, like you said, Rux-tok could have picked any male."

"As stated before, you are easier to keep silent. You're a slave and not a gnoll, it would be your word against hers and there's no way they'd believe you over their senior hunter. If she chose another gnoll male to bed, well that's a little trickier, she'd have to _get_ one first and it isn't often that a mother gnoll will allow her sons to wander about without being watched as any female, with or without, permission could seize them. I know its complicated to understand but it is how things are around here. So you're convenient and relatively cheap, and she knows no one is going to tell Dagga-Zool."

"What if it was found out? What happens then?" Keest asked over his shoulder as he scrubbed a pot.

" . . . well if it was found that you did mate with Rux-tok," Farra moved to be closer to him and lowered her voice, "It would be brought before the Matriarchs as a serious breech in protocol, if they all decide, punishments will be met out. For you they could decide anything from castrating you to killing you and for Rux-tok, she could lose her station as a hunter, stripped of her rights as Dagga-Zool's right-hand gnoll and basically be reduced to an outcast. If you two somehow had offspring from a joining, they would wait for her to give birth then kill the child or they may just go ahead and cut it out of her, saves time and gnolls are _not_ renowned for their patience."

Keest swallowed nervously, "Well alright then, we just all keep our mouths shut and I keep my life and genitals . . . I still don't understand why risk it all but I'm just a dumb goat and she's one of the all-mighty gnolls. I do have one more question though."

"Fire away." Farra said, going back to the stove.

"Why do you know so much? I know you basically grew up in Oso-Thad's household but why would you be privy to so much information?" Keest asked, wiping his hands on a towel and leaning back on the tub.

"Jahut told me." Farra shrugged.

"He did?" Keest's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Yep, I told you, he isn't nearly as stupid as he lets on. When I was growing up they put me with Oso-Thad's cubs, Yoona-Biz and Sato, so Jahut would teach them and in turn, teach me."

"Where are the cubs now?" Keest asked curiously, he hadn't even known that Oso-Thad had had cubs.

"Sato was given as a gift to one of the first-daughters of the brown gnoll's Matriarch and Yoona-Biz is one of Rux-tok's hunters. Rather a step-down for her but she seems happy enough." Farra shrugged.

"I still don't understand why the gnolls like to give their children away." Keest muttered.

" . . . they don't," Farra turned slightly to look over her shoulder at him, "Jahut wept for days when Sato was given away and he still gnaws at his nails when Yoona-Biz goes out to hunt. How Oso-Thad feels is harder to know, she's proud of them so she does not feel bad."

" . . . I feel bad for Jahut, he always gets pushed around and hit by the females and Oso-Thad."

"Yeah, but he takes it all with a pretty patient mind and he really does love Oso-Thad." Farra shrugged, "Now enough talk, finish scrubbing those pots and get back out there, we got customers now!"

 **A/N: And there it is.**


End file.
